Design thinking, a asset for problem-solvers

When you hear the word “creative”, what image flashes in your mind? Is it an artist transforming a vision in his mind onto canvas? Or a classical dancer gracefully conveying a story through gestures and expressions? Or a fashion designer creating new trends that teens will embrace throughout the world?

The reality is all humans can be creative. You may be a developer churning out code. Or an accountant trying to help people get their taxes filed on time. All kinds of problems (large and small) can be addressed through 'design thinking'. That is the cornerstone of the Design Thinking philosophy.

According to the Interactive Design Foundation, design thinking is a non-linear, iterative process that teams use to understand users, challenge assumptions, redefine problems and create innovative solutions to prototype and test.

Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here’s why design thinking seems to be an essential skill for the current age.

The significant problems we face can only be solved with innovative thinking. Design Thinking is a systematic approach, a time-tested and efficient approach to developing new, innovative solutions.

The world is moving very fast, with many issues of an amorphous and ill-defined nature. By the time you get to solve a specific problem using a linear, step-by-step approach, the circumstance could have changed dramatically. Experimentation and iteration are the only way to ensure that you are solving the right problem.
Users are getting more demanding. They are willing to pay more for ease of use and access to elegant products and services. Apple’s reign as the world’s largest company in market cap is a testament to this phenomenon.

Ok – so you buy into the idea. What are the steps and relevant skills? Please remember that while the steps, listed below, are followed in sequence, there is rapid iteration between the Prototype and Test phases.

Empathise: In order to solve a problem, deeply understand and care about your users and their lives. You cannot solve a problem in a meaningful way unless you understand the context of the problem. Empathy is your way of learning what they do and why, their physical and emotional needs and the context of solving a problem.

Define: You cannot solve a problem unless you have clearly defined what it is. A clear definition of the problem arises from synthesising information gathered in the empathy phase. Generally, a more narrowly focused problem statement will yield greater quantity and higher quality solutions in the next phase. Remember to “fall in love with the problem” and not your favoured solution.

Ideate: In this phase, you concentrate on idea generation. The goal is quantity – not quality, so you have to silence your inner critic. Sometimes the most absurd ideas have a kernel of possibility that generate the most creative solution.

Prototype: At the end of the ideation, all you have are a bunch of assumptions about what your users want in order to solve their problems. The only way to test them is to build rapid prototypes and put them in the hands of users. These could be in the form of a low-fidelity website (where you only have the design sketched out), or a paper and foam model of your solution. The key is not to spend a lot of resources, but to get something in the hands of your users very quickly.

Test: This phase is all about getting feedback. Your prototype should be a conversation starter. Do they like what they see? Will it solve their problem? It is also an opportunity to gain more empathy for their situation. At this point, you are validating your assumptions. This stage is followed by more prototyping and testing until you have a solution that is desirable, feasible and viable.

As you endeavour to become a design thinker, the strongest skills you can develop are:

Curiosity: In this case, curiosity doesn’t kill the cat. Be incredibly curious about the problems your users face. What workarounds have they employed? Why are they unsatisfied? What is the user journey like? What actions do you want them to take? Watch, listen, converse, and put yourself in your user’s shoes.

Do not assume that you know the answers even if you are experiencing the issue yourself. Take a “beginner's mind” approach.

Tenacity: Listening to take feedback and going back to the prototype again requires great tenacity. You cannot let your ego get in the way. The best approach is to fall in love with the problem, not any particular solution. Remember that your users know best… not you.

Non-judgmental listening: When ideating solutions, silence your inner critic. Lots of ideas seem absurd at first but may contain the kernel for the perfect solution. Separate the process of generating ideas from evaluating them.

Resist the urge to perfect: Prototypes are meant to evoke a response and start conversations. Do not spend too much time on building prototypes. Basically, you are testing assumptions and the sooner you get something in the hands of actual users, the faster they will be able to give you feedback. In this case, perfect is the enemy of good.

Now, think like the developer or the accountant or whoever you are. How might you use Design Thinking to solve the myriad problems your clients might face?

Empathise, define, ideate, prototype, test!

(The author is a social entrepreneur who tries to apply design thinking in his community-building efforts)